POSTPONED: CEBL vs Canada Basketball

Northern Showcase

The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced that its June 12 exhibition game with the Canadian Senior Men’s National Basketball Team in Hamilton has been postponed. The decision follows Sunday night’s announcement by the Canadian Olympic Committee that it will not be sending athletes to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Games because of the risks of COVID-19. No make-up date has been determined, and both Canada Basketball and the CEBL will work together to identify a date in the future to reschedule the game.

The Northern Showcase has been planned as a tune-up for the Canadian National Team, which is led by NBA champion head coach Nick Nurse and a roster featuring several of Canada’s top players currently in the NBA. The CEBL roster will be made up of select players from the league’s Hamilton, Niagara and Ottawa franchises, and coached by Victor Raso, the CEBL Coach of the Year during its inaugural season in 2019.

Fans who have purchased tickets to The Northern Showcase will receive a full refund on their purchase through Ticketmaster.

The Northern Showcase would mark the first time since the 1994 FIBA World Championship at Copps Coliseum (not FirstOntario Centre) that Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team has played in Hamilton. The Hamilton Honey Badgers play 10 home dates at FirstOntario Centre. The Northern Showcase also marks the first time since 1998 that current NBA players have played in Hamilton.

With seven teams across four provinces, the CEBL is the “Official First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball”, adhering to official FIBA rules and regulations. The CEBL is one of the only professional men’s basketball leagues in the world that runs during spring and summer.

Beginning this season, CBC Sports will live stream all 70 regular season CEBL games and its five playoff contests, plus eight over-the-air television broadcasts including the CEBL Championship game live from Edmonton. The CEBL and CBC signed a three-year partnership last November.